Years ago when someone asked me, in the context of religion, who I was, without a moment’s hesitation I would answer, “I’m a Seventh-day Adventist.” Today, my answer is, “I’m a Christian.” I could attend many different churches, but they no longer define who I am. While there is nothing wrong with being known by a particular church or denomination, as long as it is a healthy, Bible-based church, it is enough to be known as a follower of Christ.
Reflecting back on my life in Adventism, I spent too much time and energy on non-essentials and not enough on the simple gospel of Christ. Adventism is not alone in promoting peripherals. Many churches have some fossilized baggage that could be questioned.
Contemplating the ministry of Christ, it becomes demonstrably evident that He did not center on doctrinal minutia. His emphasis was on who He is, what He came to do, and the necessity of receiving Him for eternal life. For example, the woman of Samaria came with a load of sinful baggage and an incomplete understanding of “truth.” Still, she drank of the “living water”—belief in Christ as Savior of the world—and immediately became a child of God and a successful evangelist.
“these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
The Apostle John was a member of Christ’s inner circle of disciples and was known as “the one whom Jesus loved.” Years later he wrote, “these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”121 The gospel of John was written as an evangelistic document.
I recall how frustrated I was in my early years of pastoring in Adventism when neighboring evangelical pastors would promote passing out large numbers of John’s Gospel with the intent of winning people to Christ. If a person read through the Gospel of John, he would not find the “testing truths” of Adventism, which we said were necessary in order to receive the seal of God, avoid the mark of the beast, and to pass in the judgment. In other words, the “testing truths” of Adventism were made a necessary component of salvation. However, John’s Gospel claims to contain all the truth necessary for salvation.
- Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life (Jn. 6:47).
- This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent (Jn. 6:29).
The gospel is the good news of who Christ is and what He has done for us; it is not good advice about what we must do to be saved, other than to receive Him. Real, genuine Christianity can be proclaimed:
- To the self-righteous Pharisee
- To the sinful woman of Samaria
- To the royal official
- To the sick man at Bethesda
- To the woman caught in adultery
- To the multitudes
- To the man born blind
- To the Greeks
- To the thief on the cross
- To whoever calls
- To whoever believes
- To you and me!
Once the gospel is heard and accepted, we are “born again”—“born from above”—and we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance and as a seal of our redemption.122 The Christian will then experience the gifts123 and fruit of the Spirit124 and a life filled with the assurance of salvation.125 There will be many trials, tests, and hardships, but all the while, it is enough to be a Christian living “the eternal kind of life” here and now.
Several years have passed since I received the email message from the Adventist pastor, who was seeking answers to his doctrinal questions about Adventism and wanting to know my experience in leaving the SDA church. Since that time, I am aware of many hundreds, if not thousands, of Adventists who have made the transition, including many SDA pastors.
It is my prayer that this book, along with the other books distributed by LAM Publications, will help you, the reader, discover the good news of the new covenant gospel of God’s grace in Christ and give you the courage to take a stand for biblical truth.
Yes, truth led me out—and truth set me free! †
- Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. Pro. 23:23
- Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Ps. 51:6
- Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Jn. 14:6
- You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Jn. 8:32
- But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. 1 Tim. 1:5–7
- Keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. 1 Tim. 1:19
- In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. Acts 24:16
ENDNOTES
121. John 20:31.
122. Eph. 1:13, 14; 4:30.
123. Rom. 12:3-21; 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 4.
124. Gal. 16–26.
125. 1 John 5:10-15.
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